


safe with you

by jesuisgrace



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Full Shift Werewolves, Gen, M/M, No Smut, Stiles Stilinski Has Nightmares, Stiles Stilinski Has Panic Attacks, Wolf Derek Hale, a little bit of Isaac feelings because I can't help it, i've seen through 4.04 so maybe spoilers through that, plus a little early season 4 in there, post 3b
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28601631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuisgrace/pseuds/jesuisgrace
Summary: Derek watches Stiles. He has to do something, and nobody, not even Scott, is paying attention. So Derek does, and he tells himself it’s because he’s pack, because he’s human, because of the nogitsune and he ignores it when his heart stops and his chest gets tight every time he can tell Stiles isn’t okay.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 8
Kudos: 302





	safe with you

**Author's Note:**

> 75% of this was scribbled into my Bucky notebook on the drive back from a camping trip. Why would I work on my WIPs when I could write a random one shot about wolf!Derek?
> 
> As always, thank you to [Poe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poe/pseuds/Poe) for the beta and the encouragement and the just generally helping me survive lately. <3 Any mistakes are my own as I couldn't stop tinkering :)

Stiles keeps telling everyone that he’s fine. They asked, for a while, and he lied, and everyone was too wrapped up in their own trauma and guilt and grief to notice. Even the wolves. Isaac would’ve noticed, he thinks, but Isaac is gone. He left because of Allison, because he couldn’t stand to stay and watch Scott move on, but he’s gone because Derek failed him. Because he didn’t see and didn’t listen, didn’t give him what he needed, didn’t figure out how to be a good alpha until he wasn’t one anymore. He’ll go after him, try to make it right, but he thinks maybe he needs some space first. Or maybe Derek just isn’t ready to hear that he doesn’t want anything to do with him. Chris can be good for him, he thinks. He’ll take care of him. He checks in sometimes, makes sure they’re okay. 

All his betas are gone. Cora is gone. Laura is dead. Scott is an alpha and is too young and too stupid to know he needs help. 

So Derek watches Stiles. He has to do something, and nobody, not even Scott, is paying attention. So Derek does, and he tells himself it’s because he’s pack, because he’s human, because of the nogitsune and he ignores it when his heart stops and his chest gets tight every time he can tell Stiles isn’t okay. 

_Not this one_ , he thinks.  
_I can protect him_ , he thinks.  
_I won’t fuck it up this time_ , he thinks. 

_You will_ , a voice that sounds a lot like Kate’s whispers. _You’ll lose him, too_.  
Derek tries to ignore it. 

Stiles tells everyone that he’s fine, but he has nightmares and panic attacks and he isn’t sleeping. Derek knows because he started watching him at night after he heard him lie for the third time. 

“I’m fine”, he says while his heart skips.  
“No nightmares, not anymore” while he looks at the floor.  
“Don’t worry about me, it’s all over” with a thin smile he can’t believe the others don’t see through. 

Derek listens for his heartbeat from the car, watches from the roof. He has to be careful, because the coyote likes to come through his window at night and sleep in his bed sometimes. She sleeps soundly while Stiles stares at the ceiling. Sometimes he cries. She never sees. She kisses him and he doesn’t kiss her and she doesn’t notice. He takes care of her, helps Scott, looks out for his dad. He convinced the whole pack to come after Derek - made the plan, drove them all the way to Mexico, took care of him when he was...vulnerable. But nobody is taking care of Stiles. 

So Derek listens. He listens to Stiles and he helps the Sheriff, keeps him safe, knows nothing is more important to Stiles than that. They trust each other, a pleasant surprise, and Derek ends up helping him with cases and looking out for him. He likes to think he’s protecting him, but John’s protected him too. 

The first time he comes in, Stiles is having a nightmare and the Sheriff isn’t there to hear him scream. Derek comes through the window and gently shakes Stiles awake, holding him so he won’t hurt himself thrashing. _You’re okay, you’re safe, I’ve got you_. 

Stiles is quiet and shaken when he finally wakes. He looks up after several long minutes and seems surprised to find Derek there, sitting behind him in his bed and holding him tight against his chest. He jerks away, looking at the floor, embarrassed. 

“I’m- I’m okay. Just a dream. It’s fine.”  
“A nightmare”  
“Yeah, but it’s not- not like before. Just a nightmare. Just a dream. I can wake up. I can read. I’m okay.”  
“Stiles-”  
“I’m fine, Derek.”  
“Do you want me to stay?” Derek asks softly.  
Stiles’ eyebrows reach the top of his forehead before he schools his features.  
“No- I- No. Thanks, man. I’m alright.”  
“Okay. Call me if you need anything, okay? I’m here.” 

Stiles nods. Derek squeezes his shoulder and slips out the window, but he stays on the roof to listen to his heartbeat. Stiles doesn’t go back to sleep, but his heartbeat stays mostly steady so Derek doesn’t go back in. 

Three days later Stiles has a panic attack. He’s in his room with the door closed. The Sheriff is downstairs. Derek heard Stiles excuse himself early, tell his dad he was tired, but something sounds off about his voice. Derek hears him shut the door and fall hard back against it, sliding down to the floor. When his heart starts to race and his breathing gets quick and shallow, Derek can’t help but go in. He opens the window, which isn’t locked but probably should be, and slides into Stiles’ room. 

Stiles’ eyes go wide and he flaps a hand at Derek, maybe trying to brush it off or tell him to go away. 

“Stiles-” he says quietly. 

He reaches out for him but realizes he has no idea how to help Stiles through a panic attack. 

Stiles won’t look at him. He’s… embarrassed again. He can barely smell it through the panic, but it’s there. Derek doesn’t want Stiles to feel embarrassed about being vulnerable, not after everything they’ve been through, but it doesn’t matter why, he just wants to help. So he does the only thing he can think of. He knows Stiles isn’t afraid of him, so he shifts. 

His thoughts are simpler as the wolf. His packmate smells scared, so Derek flattens himself to the floor, making himself look smaller and nonthreatening. He nudges at Stiles’ arm until he tentatively digs his fingers into his soft fur. Stiles scratches at him slowly, fingers moving in and out. After a long time, his heart rate and his breathing start to even out. He scrubs a sleeve across his eyes and uses a hand on Derek’s back to shove himself off the floor. He mumbles something before going out to the bathroom. When he gets back, he looks surprised to find Derek still there. He tells him to go home, he’s okay, but he still smells scared, so Derek curls up on the floor beside the bed. Stiles huffs and rolls his eyes but he gets in bed and eventually falls asleep. Derek stays until morning. Stiles doesn’t have nightmares and he sleeps through the night. When the sun comes up he shifts, gets dressed, and slips out the window. 

It’s early morning by the time he makes it to the Stilinskis on the next full moon. When he looks in the window, he finds Stiles shaking in his bed. He wants to barge in, ask him what happened, if the coyote hurt him, and what the fuck happened tonight because Derek can smell a strange werewolf on him. But he doesn’t. He just tosses his clothes on the chair, shifts, and crawls into Stiles’ bed. He’s too big for them both to fit, really, but Stiles just curls into him, digging his fingers in and burying his face in his fur as he cries. Derek whines and licks at his face and lets Stiles cry and shake and calm down. After a while he sniffs. 

“Thanks, sourwolf”, he mumbles into his fur. 

Derek huffs and licks Stiles’ hand. 

Stiles lifts his head and Derek can smell the shift in his scent before he opens his mouth. 

“I’m okay. You can-”  
Derek growls.  
“What? I am. I’m fine.”  
Derek growls again, putting a paw on top of Stiles to keep him in the bed.  
Stiles huffs. “You’re ridiculous. But fine. You can stay. You gonna let me brush my teeth?”  
Derek growls and Stiles laughs.  
“Do I need to let you out back first?”  
Derek growls louder and Stiles laughs some more.  
“I know, I know. Dog jokes. Heh. Alright, let me up to pee and brush my teeth.”  
Derek gives him his best puppy eyes.  
“What? You’ll hear if I wander off!”

Stiles comes back after just a few minutes. He glances at Derek’s pile of clothes and the window and looks like he might be about to argue, so Derek sprawls in the bed and takes up even more space. 

“You’re ridiculous. Shove over.”

Stiles sleeps soundly all night, wrapped around Derek, fingers dug into his fur and face smashed into his back. 

Stiles does okay for a whole week after that, and Derek only sees him once at a pack meeting. He’s distracted and agitated and doesn’t get a chance to talk to Stiles. 

He almost hadn’t come the next time Stiles has a panic attack. He was exhausted; hadn’t slept a full night since the night he spent with Stiles. Stiles was doing better; he hadn’t looked so tired at the pack meeting, and even though he didn’t talk nearly as much as he usually did, he’d slept at least some and had been nightmare free every night for a week. He almost hadn’t come, but he hones in on Stiles’ erratic and too-fast heartbeat as soon as he turns the Camaro off. 

He finds Stiles on the floor of his closet, sweating and shaking. Stiles’ eyes go wide when he sees him and he squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head. 

“I- I can’t- I can’t”  
“It’s okay”  
“It’s not - I ca-can’t.” Stiles sucks in a breath, trying to talk, but he can’t get it out. Can’t get his breathing under control long enough to get out what he wants to say.  
“Stiles”  
“Co-could you?”  
“Shift?”  
Stiles nods frantically, grateful Derek understood him without more words. 

Derek backs out of the closet, moving slow and watching Stiles to make sure he’s okay. He slips out of his clothes and throws them on the chair, shifting quickly. He shakes his fur out a bit and pads into the closet, laying down at Stiles’ feet, letting him sink his hands into his fur. When Stiles stops shaking, Derek herds him out of the closet, pulling on his sleeve and nudging him toward the bed with his head. 

“Okay, I’m going.” He doesn’t sound quite right and he’s still breathing too fast, but Derek’s happy he can talk a little. 

He pushes him into the bed and hops up after him, lying half on top of him and licking his face. 

Stiles relents and lays back, burying his hands and his face in his fur. 

After a long time, Stiles’ heartbeat is back to normal and he seems to be breathing okay. Derek sticks his nose in his cheek. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.”  
Derek huffs.  
“You’re ridiculous. How did you know?”  
Derek blinks at him. Pokes at his chest with his nose.  
“No, I know you can hear my heart, but not from the loft? How did you hear me? How have you always heard me?”  
Derek makes a happy little noise and nudges Stiles’ hand until he starts scratching him again. He’d thought he’d caught them all since he started watching, but he hadn’t been sure, and hadn’t wanted to embarrass Stiles by asking.  
“You can’t hear me from the loft. You’d have to be closer. A lot closer... You’ve been watching me? You fucking lurker how long have you been watching me!?”  
Stiles half sits up, indignant, so Derek pushes him back down with a big paw on his chest.  
“Oh my God… I should be so pissed at you…”  
Derek nudges his hand some more.  
“Yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s cuddle. What is my life?”

Three nights later Derek gets a call in the middle of the night.  
“Derek?”  
“Stiles? You okay?”  
“Yeah, I - no. Nightmare. Can you… could you come over?”  
“Of course. I’ll be there in ten minutes. You want me to shift?”  
“No. I- it doesn’t matter. I just want you. You’ll come?”  
“Of course, Stiles. It’s okay, you’re okay. It was just a dream. Stay on the phone, okay? Don’t hang up until I’m there.”

The next morning, Sheriff Stilinski opens Stiles’ door to find his son wrapped around a shirtless Derek Hale. Derek shrugs at him and tries to project nonthreatening vibes. John rolls his eyes and mouths “Really?!” at Derek before announcing loudly, “Coffee’s downstairs. Come eat breakfast with your old man before I go on shift.” Derek smiles and pokes Stiles in the ribs. 

“C’mon, Stiles. Wake up. Breakfast.”  
Stiles just burrows further into his chest.  
“With your dad. Who just saw us.”  
“WHA???” Stiles sits up, confused. “Oh, fuck”  
Derek laughs, and herds Stiles out of his bed and down the stairs to eat with the Sheriff, grateful for the last few weeks he’s spent gaining his trust. 

“Morning, boys”, John greets, leveling a look at Derek and making Stiles blush.  
Derek smiles. “Morning, Sheriff.”  
“I thought I told you to call me John, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear what you think! 
> 
> Come yell at me on [tumblr (@eusuntgratie)](https://eusuntgratie.tumblr.com/) about Sterek and Stucky <3


End file.
